Episode 7: Reginald Crazywing

We went out onto the nearest ledge to hail a bird, but there were already several mice in line at the pigeon stand.

One mouse shivered beneath his black, speckled coat. “We’re freezing our whiskers off out here!” He shook his head. “Busy night. The pigeons are all taken.”

Pigeons were another part of urban wildlife that realized their lives depended on human prosperity. As such, they were the Council’s natural allies. Unlike mice, unfortunately, they weren’t very organized.

Dell Grim scowled at the line. “Let’s go. We’ll have to talk a crow into giving us a ride.”

The crow found us first. The big black bird almost landed on top of us.

“Micean Council!” Gretchen and Dell shouted, showing their red bead necklaces. The crow dropped his talon into the snow with an audible “plop.” He stared at them, then jerked his gaze to me. I hustled my necklace out too.

“Know where any of your non-council conspecifics might be? I’m hungry!” The crow’s black eyes scanned the snow around us.

The bird cocked his head. The only times I’d ever been this close to a crow before was when I was running for my life. I could feel my heart pounding, and reflected on how there was just a little red bead between me and that beak.

“Well, well, well,” Reginald cawed. “If it isn’t Dell Grim.”

“We’re on a Council mission. We need a flight to Little Italy.”

“I’m busy. I’m hungry,” Reginald opened and closed his wings, scattering snowflakes, and made ready to fly off. “There’s a teenager eating a baguette near the centennial flame. If I go now, I might score a few crumbs before the pigeons get them all!” He stamped his talons in the snow.

Dell stepped closer. “Way I see it, you wouldn’t be nearly as fat and healthy if the Council hadn’t been delivering you scraps from the Parliament cafeteria all winter.”

The crow cawed, shrilly, and shook his head, swirling dark magic around his eyes and beak.

All three of us scampered back. Humans and birds are the only creatures that could manipulate magic, and I’d never seen it before.

“Fine! Get on! But write in your little tit-for-tat notebook that the Council owes Reginald Crazywing a baguette!”

Anieth features online fantasy graphic novels for YA and up. A.R. Stone has also created cards and prints highlighting European mythology. This site is a must for lovers of ancient Europe, Wiccan, Celtic and Viking lore.

Metastable Systems – speculative poetry from David Kopaska-Merkel. Available in all standard E-book formats